Bow sight



March 3, 1959 D. w. MERRILL ET Al. 2,875,522

Bow SIGHT Filed July 27, 195e FIG. I

INVENTOR, 00A/QLD M MERE/LL LEO w. E/DEA/ @Mam n TToeA/Ev United StatesPatent() BOW SIGHT Donald W. Merrill and Leo W. Eiden, Minneapolis,Minn.

Application July 27, 1956, Serial No. 600,446

7 Claims. (Cl. 33-46) This invention 'relates generally to archery bows,and pertains more particularly to an adjustable sight therefor.

A `number of dilerent -bow sights have been devised. However, knownsights either have their shortcomings as far as accuracy andadjustability are concerned or they are so complex and expensive thattheir widespread use has been curtailed for this reason. Consequently,much is still to be desired as far as an inexpensive and effective bowsight is concerned.

Accordingly, one object of the invention is to provide a bow sight thatcan be accurately adjusted. Also, it is in an aim of the invention toprovide a rugged bow sight that cannot, even with exceptionally roughhandling, be knocked out of alignment once it has been adjusted for aparticular range. Further, it is envisaged that the facility with whichour bow sight can be adjusted will not be impaired after numerousadjustments have been made, provision being made for undercutting orslotting the groove accommodating the Slidable sight block so that therepeated tightening and loosening of the set screw will not score thatportion of the groove where the block itself is intended to ride.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bow sight that may beadjusted both elevationall'y for different ranges and laterally fordiverse Windage effects.

Another object is to provide a sight for archery bows that may` bequickly and easily shifted to either side of the bow, Itherebypermitting the archer to select the particular side on which he wishesto place his arrow in making a shot.

A further object is to provide a bow sight that will be exceedinglylightweight so as to have virtually no t.

`only a few `simply designed parts, thereby permitting it to bemanufactured at a relatively low cost.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a versatile bow sightthat will permit the user thereof to elect whether he wishes to employ asingle sighting pin or a lens, substitution of one for the other beingreadily achieved.

The invention, together with other objects attending its production,will be more clearly understood when the following description is readin connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an archery bow having our sightmounted thereon;

Figure 2 is a perspective View of the bow sight itself which exempliiiesthe invention;

Figure 3 is a perspective detail of the Slidable block constituting aportion of the overall sight, the view picturing a lens instead of thesingle sight pin illustrated in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken in the direction of line4-4 of Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a transversesectional view taken in the direction of line5-5 of Figure 2.

Vice

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the bow sight forming thesubject matter of the present invention has been designated in itsentirety by the numeral 10. AS can be seen from Figure l, the bow sight10 is to be mounted upon a conventional archery bow 12 just above thehand grip portion 14 thereof. Though not visible in the drawing, it isplanned that a pair of small countersunk wood screws, one at each end,be utilized in anchoring the sight 10 to the bow 12. However, owingparticularly to the lightweight characteristics of the bow sight,cementing of the sight in place has been found entirely satisfactory ina number of instances.

The overall structural make-up of the bow sight 10 is seen to betteradvantage in Figure 2. Here it will be noted that the sight includes abow sight body in the form of an elongated strip 16, preferably ofaluminum, hav'- ing a straight intermediate section 18 and offset endsections 20, 22. These oliset ends are each provided with a chamferedaperture 24 that may be employed when using screws in the attaching ofthe sight 10 to the bow 12, as mentioned in the preceding paragraph. Thestraight section 18 of the strip is found with a dovetailed or V-shapedgroove 26, the groove being narrower at the top than its bottom (bestseen in Figure 5) and centrally slotted at 28 (also best observed inFigure 5).

Slidable along said strip 16 is a range block 30 formed with a tongue 32on its bottomface 34 which is compleinental with respect to the groove26 so as to be freely Slidable therealong, yet not lbe removabletherefrom except at either end. The block is formed with a semicircularupper face 36 and parallel flat sides 3S, 40 which give the block awidth equal to that of the strip 16. Extending from side to side is apair of spaced, transverse apertures 42, 44. Additionally, the Slidable`block 30 is provided with two radially directed apertures 46, 48, bothof which are tapped. From Figure 4 it can be discerned that the aperture46 intersects the transverse aperture 42, whereas the aperture 48extends completely through the block 30 from its top to the bottomsurface of the tongue 32. Thus, the aperture 48 lies intermediate thetransverse apertures 42, 44, and is normal to the bottom face34. Theaperture 46, on the otherhand,4 is disposed at an angle approximating 45with respect to said aperture 48.

As can be seen from Figure 2 the aperture.42 `is designed to receive atransverse sighting pinl 50` Vformed with a small spherical head 52thereon. Retaining` this pin in a preferred lateral degree of extensionrelative the Aface 38 is'a set screw 54 equipped with a knurled head 56and having its threaded shank received in the radial aperture 46, itsinner. end abutting an inner."portionl of the pin 5l) to thereby clampthe pin inplace. A second set screw 58 provided with a knurled head 60is of suicient length such that its inner end will abut the bottom ofthe slot 28 formed in the central portion of the groove 26. Due to theared configuration of the tongue 32, it can be seen that the set screw58, when tightened, will force the angled sides of the tongue 32 againstthe inwardly sloping walls of the groove 26.

The block 30 is not limited in use to the accommodation of only a sightpin 50, for by providing the second transverse aperture 44, the archerhas a choice as to the type of sighting element to be employed. In thisregard, attention is now directed to Figure 3 where a glass lens 62 isdepicted having a central opaque spot 64 correspond ing in aimingfunction to the head 42 on the pin 50. This lens is mounted in a Wirelens holder 66 which is reversely bent so as to produce a pair ofsubstantially parallel leg elements 68, 70 receivable in the transversegrooves. As with the pin 50, the set screw 54 is instrumental inclamping the leg 68 in place, thereby deteraeration mining "the`distance that the centerof the lens is spaced laterally outwardly fromthe side 3S.

VFrom the foregoing it is; thought that the manner in which our bowsight is used will be readily apparent to those familiar with archery.Therefore, all that need be emphasized at this time is that the rangesetting isaccom: plished by unscrewing the set screw 58, the block 30then being easily moved upwardly or `downwardly to the proper height fora given range. The other set screw 54 when unscrewed serves to releaseeither the pin 50 or the lens holder 66, thereby allowing whicheverelement that has been selected to be shifted laterally for theparticular Wind conditions then prevailing. Consequently, it will beseen that adjustments have been provided for both lrange and wind.

With respect to the range adjustment it may be specifically pointed outthat anyburrs that might be produced by reason of repeated tighteningand looseningjof the (set screw Will be formed at the base of the slot2S, not at `the bottom ofthe larger VJ-shaped groove 26 anking 'eitherside of said slot 28. Therefore, there can be n o interference with thesliding movement of the block 30, it. being pr'e'rrnitted to pass freelyover any ysuch scored or `"mutilated sections.

A It has already been mentioned that the archer may aim from eitherside. To attain this objective the more convenient way is to loosen theset screw 58, thereby freeing the block 30 so that its tongue 32 may bewithdrawn from either end of the groove 26 and then re-inserted afterVhaving turned the biock through 180. The other way is to merely loosenthe set screw 54, remove either the pin :50 or the lens holder 66 andre-nsert this element, vwhichever it may be, into the aperture 42 orapertures 42, 44. l

, Thuis, it will be 'recognized that once an adjustment has beenobtained the simple expedient of tightening the set screw 5S will assureretention ofthe block 30 in "the vIxsitl'rinfto which it has been moved,thereby obviari'ng any likelihood of lthe ybloclebeing knocked out ofadjustment. By the 'same token the tightening of the other set screw 54will secure fast the sighting element 50 or 66.

Having described the invention with sufcient clarity'to enable thosefamiliar with this art to construct and use it, we claim:

1. A bow Sight comprising an elongated strip member provided with alongitudinal dovetail groove along its upper face, a slidable blockprovided with a dovctail tongue along its bottom face receivable in saidgroove, a transverse aperture extending between its sides and a vpair 'fngularly disposed threaded apertures leading -dow'n'v'vaidly 'from ltheupper face of said block, one of `v"said threaded laperturesintersecting said transverse aperture and the other Iterminating at thebottom of said tongue, 'a transverse element received in said transverse4 aperture and projecting laterally therefrom, a set screw engaged insaid rst threaded aperture for peventing dislodgment of said element,and a second set scew engaged in said second threaded aperture forabutting the bottom of said groove to hold said block in a desiredadjusted position.

2. A bow sight in accordance with claim 1 in which said second threadedaperture is normal to said tongue and said first threaded aperture isdisposed at an angle of substantially with respect thereto.

3. A bou/'sight comprising an elongated strip member provided with alongitudinal dovetail groove along one face thereof, the ends of saidmember being offset from the plane of said one face, a slidable blockformed with a semi-circular upper face, flat sides and a dovetail tonguealong its bottom face receivable in said groove, said block having atransverse aperture extending between its sides, a lirst threadedaperture extending radial-ly from said semi-circular face to saidtransverse aperture and a second threaded aperture extending normal tosaid bottom face from said semi-circular face through saidtongue, atransverse element received in said transverse aperture and projectinglaterally therefrom, a set screw engaged in said first threaded aperturefor preventing dislodgement of said element, and a second set screwengaged in said second threaded aperture for abutting the base of saidsaid transverse element constitutes a sighting pin.

7. A bow sight in accordance with claim 5 in which said transverseelement constitutes one leg of a U-shaped lens holder, the other leg ofsaid lens holder being received in said second transverse aperture.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSl882,182 Thompson Mar. 17, 1908 1,982,489 Wilcox Nov. 27, 1934 2,332,080Howe -v Oct. 19, 1943 2,351,103 Brown June 13, 1944 2,642,661Fredrickson June 23, 1953 2,654,152 L'aVire heb-; -o--- Oct. 6, '-1953OTHER REFERENCES Page l12 of catalogue No. -45 entitled vArchery and SkiEquipment, the Outdoor Sports Mfg. Co., Forestville, Conn., Aug. 15,1947.

